7.8
CWE
416
Advisory Published
Updated

CVE-2021-47656: jffs2: fix use-after-free in jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem

First published: Wed Feb 26 2025(Updated: )

In the Linux kernel, the following vulnerability has been resolved: jffs2: fix use-after-free in jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem When we mount a jffs2 image, assume that the first few blocks of the image are normal and contain at least one xattr-related inode, but the next block is abnormal. As a result, an error is returned in jffs2_scan_eraseblock(). jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem() is then called in jffs2_build_filesystem() and then again in jffs2_do_fill_super(). Finally we can observe the following report: ================================================================== BUG: KASAN: use-after-free in jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem+0x95/0x6ac Read of size 8 at addr ffff8881243384e0 by task mount/719 Call Trace: dump_stack+0x115/0x16b jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem+0x95/0x6ac jffs2_do_fill_super+0x84f/0xc30 jffs2_fill_super+0x2ea/0x4c0 mtd_get_sb+0x254/0x400 mtd_get_sb_by_nr+0x4f/0xd0 get_tree_mtd+0x498/0x840 jffs2_get_tree+0x25/0x30 vfs_get_tree+0x8d/0x2e0 path_mount+0x50f/0x1e50 do_mount+0x107/0x130 __se_sys_mount+0x1c5/0x2f0 __x64_sys_mount+0xc7/0x160 do_syscall_64+0x45/0x70 entry_SYSCALL_64_after_hwframe+0x44/0xa9 Allocated by task 719: kasan_save_stack+0x23/0x60 __kasan_kmalloc.constprop.0+0x10b/0x120 kasan_slab_alloc+0x12/0x20 kmem_cache_alloc+0x1c0/0x870 jffs2_alloc_xattr_ref+0x2f/0xa0 jffs2_scan_medium.cold+0x3713/0x4794 jffs2_do_mount_fs.cold+0xa7/0x2253 jffs2_do_fill_super+0x383/0xc30 jffs2_fill_super+0x2ea/0x4c0 [...] Freed by task 719: kmem_cache_free+0xcc/0x7b0 jffs2_free_xattr_ref+0x78/0x98 jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem+0xa1/0x6ac jffs2_do_mount_fs.cold+0x5e6/0x2253 jffs2_do_fill_super+0x383/0xc30 jffs2_fill_super+0x2ea/0x4c0 [...] The buggy address belongs to the object at ffff8881243384b8 which belongs to the cache jffs2_xattr_ref of size 48 The buggy address is located 40 bytes inside of 48-byte region [ffff8881243384b8, ffff8881243384e8) [...] ================================================================== The triggering of the BUG is shown in the following stack: ----------------------------------------------------------- jffs2_fill_super jffs2_do_fill_super jffs2_do_mount_fs jffs2_build_filesystem jffs2_scan_medium jffs2_scan_eraseblock <--- ERROR jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem <--- free jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem <--- free again ----------------------------------------------------------- An error is returned in jffs2_do_mount_fs(). If the error is returned by jffs2_sum_init(), the jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem() does not need to be executed. If the error is returned by jffs2_build_filesystem(), the jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem() also does not need to be executed again. So move jffs2_clear_xattr_subsystem() from 'out_inohash' to 'out_root' to fix this UAF problem.

Credit: 416baaa9-dc9f-4396-8d5f-8c081fb06d67

Affected SoftwareAffected VersionHow to fix
Linux Kernel
Linux Kernel>=2.6.18<4.9.311
Linux Kernel>=4.10<4.14.276
Linux Kernel>=4.15<4.19.238
Linux Kernel>=4.20<5.4.189
Linux Kernel>=5.5<5.10.110
Linux Kernel>=5.11<5.15.33
Linux Kernel>=5.16<5.16.19
Linux Kernel>=5.17<5.17.2

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is the severity of CVE-2021-47656?

    CVE-2021-47656 is classified as a medium-severity vulnerability due to its potential impact on the Linux kernel.

  • How do I fix CVE-2021-47656?

    To fix CVE-2021-47656, update your Linux kernel to a version that includes the patch for this vulnerability.

  • What does CVE-2021-47656 affect?

    CVE-2021-47656 affects Linux kernel versions from 2.6.18 up to 5.17.2, particularly when using the jffs2 filesystem.

  • What kind of vulnerability is CVE-2021-47656?

    CVE-2021-47656 is a use-after-free vulnerability within the jffs2 file system component of the Linux kernel.

  • Is CVE-2021-47656 a remote code execution vulnerability?

    CVE-2021-47656 does not directly lead to remote code execution, but it could potentially be exploited to alter system behavior.

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